There are two mosquito-borne diseases that health authorities are keeping an eye on this summer in New Jersey: West Nile Virus and chikungunya.

Bloomfield Health Officer Mike Fitzpatrick said Monday that there had not been any cases of either disease in Glen Ridge or Bloomfield so far this summer. And the township had not yet gotten any alerts from the state that would call for sending out formal notices to residents.

Part of the reason is that the weather this summer hasn't been conducive to mosquitoes. "If it stays hot and doesn't rain a lot, that's good," he said.

Still, he said, a lot of residents leave out items – buckets, cans, sheets of plastic – that can collect standing water and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Additionally, he said, that is one of the conditions that Bloomfield's quality-of-life officials keep an eye out for when doing checks for health hazards.

The symptoms of West Nile include a fever, muscle weakness, vomiting and dizziness.

"Human cases of West Nile virus typically appear from August through October, and residents should be careful to protect themselves," Arturo Brito, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Health, said in a statement on July 29.

Chikungunya is usually not fatal, though it will cause extreme discomfort in severe cases. The symptoms can include joint pain, fever, headache, muscle pain and rashes. The illness has its origins in the Caribbean, and is believed to have been transmitted to the United States by returning travelers.

As of late July, the state had reported 25 people testing positive for chikungunya statewide, including two in Essex County.

Additional information on both diseases is available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

There are two mosquito-borne diseases that health authorities are keeping an eye on this summer in New Jersey: West Nile Virus and chikungunya.

Bloomfield Health Officer Mike Fitzpatrick said Monday that there had not been any cases of either disease in Glen Ridge or Bloomfield so far this summer. And the township had not yet gotten any alerts from the state that would call for sending out formal notices to residents.

Part of the reason is that the weather this summer hasn't been conducive to mosquitoes. "If it stays hot and doesn't rain a lot, that's good," he said.

Still, he said, a lot of residents leave out items – buckets, cans, sheets of plastic – that can collect standing water and become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

Additionally, he said, that is one of the conditions that Bloomfield's quality-of-life officials keep an eye out for when doing checks for health hazards.

The symptoms of West Nile include a fever, muscle weakness, vomiting and dizziness.

"Human cases of West Nile virus typically appear from August through October, and residents should be careful to protect themselves," Arturo Brito, deputy commissioner of the state Department of Health, said in a statement on July 29.

Chikungunya is usually not fatal, though it will cause extreme discomfort in severe cases. The symptoms can include joint pain, fever, headache, muscle pain and rashes. The illness has its origins in the Caribbean, and is believed to have been transmitted to the United States by returning travelers.

As of late July, the state had reported 25 people testing positive for chikungunya statewide, including two in Essex County.

Additional information on both diseases is available through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.